Or a "Light RPG", a Role Playing Game following certain styles popularized by Japanese console developers, which is sometimes differentiated from {{Western RPG}}s by having several or more of the following features:

* Created in Japan (or in China, Taiwan, or South Korea, though each can have differing styles).* Generally found on consoles (and more recently, handhelds) rather than a PC, though in the past many Japanese [=RPGs=] were also released for Japanese PC platforms before the country's PC game industry declined in the mid-90s.* Aimed to satisfy the player's need for a well-crafted interactive story with interesting characters and complex interactions.* The art styles can often resemble those of {{Anime}} or {{Manga}}.* Many can tend to follow linear plots, with less of a WideOpenSandbox setting, and many may not feature discrete "quests". However, there are many Eastern [=RPGs=] that do offer non-linear narratives.* The player usually controls a party of pre-designed characters. The player is sometimes offered a choice of what characters to use, but not the option of [[CharacterCustomization designing his own protagonists]], which allows a more cinematic and tightly scripted story. But again, there are many Eastern [=RPGs=] that deviate from this.* The party members are usually written into the plot, rather than [[FeaturelessProtagonist blank slates]].* Later games tend to have one or more elaborate, minigame-like "systems" (such as the License Grid in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'') that allow skill and ability customization.* RandomEncounters are a common gameplay element, especially in older games.* TurnBasedCombat and the various {{Combatant Cooldown System}}s are prevalent, although action-based combat has also been popular at different times.* A degree of LevelGrinding is strongly encouraged, if not outright required, to proceed through many of the games.* Most encounters are resolved through combat or cutscenes. [[RPGsEqualCombat Most quests and abilities are combat-oriented.]]* UsefulNotes/{{Dice}} rolls are always hidden and stats are given as arbitrary numbers. Sometimes dice rolls aren't used at all, and fights are based on your stats versus the enemy's stats alone.* Often contain a few {{Mini Game}}s.* Often targeted towards a broader audience, including female audiences (hence the {{Bishonen}} characters often found in this genre).

Console [=RPGs=] can encompass several different diverse sub-genres:

The style that was arguably the most popular from the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem to UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 eras is the turn-based RPG, which has been building on the classic ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' and ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' formulae for a long time. With later generations, the gameplay has been mixing up with other genres (including {{Action Game}}s, {{Adventure Game}}s, {{Simulation Game}}s, and {{Strategy Game}}s) though the general "explore / get into battles / some variation on turn-based combat" is still going strong for many games within this sub-genre. Ironically enough, despite being characterised by their Asian heritage, this Eastern RPG style has partial roots in the West. ''Dragon Quest'', which in many ways was the TropeCodifier, if not TropeMaker, was directly inspired by ''Franchise/{{Ultima}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'', some of the earliest WesternRPG series and [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff hits in Japan]] (where the NES ports of ''VideoGame/UltimaIII'' and ''[[VideoGame/UltimaIV IV]]'' were remade in a more ''Dragon Quest'' style). If it wasn't for Richard Garriot (who based his operations out of ''Texas'') and especially the creators of ''Wizardry'', Japan might never have developed this unique style of role-playing game. Another major influence on this style were {{Visual Novel}}s, Japanese {{Adventure Game}}s that emphasized storytelling (though ironically, most Visual Novels revolve around non-linear narratives rather than linear ones).

Another popular subset of console [=RPGs=] is the ActionRPG, which mixes this type of gameplay with the ActionAdventure, so that while it keeps the strongly plotted story, occasionally anime-influenced characters, experience and statistics, the turn-based battle system is done away with in favor of a more real-time method of attack resembling {{Action Game}}s. The Action RPG sub-genre has its origins in early 80s Japanese [=RPGs=] like ''VideoGame/DragonSlayer'' and ''Hydlide'', which combined traditional Western RPG elements with Japanese UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame action elements. Up until the early 2000s, the majority of {{action RPG}}s were from Japan, but in recent years, it is arguably more common to see {{action RPG}}s from the West.

Also, many TurnBasedStrategy games are done in "Console RPG style" and are often referred to as "Strategy [=RPGs=]" or "{{Tactical RPG}}s", though more recent examples of the sub-genre have also incorporated RealTimeStrategy elements. In contrast to the traditional turn-based format above (represented by ''Dragon Quest'' and ''Final Fantasy''), tactical [=RPGs=] allow more [[CommonTacticalGameplayElements freedom of movement in battle]], while the narratives are also more likely to be [[StoryBranching non-linear]], with strategic decisions often having an impact on the way the story unfolds. This tactical RPG style has traditionally been dominated by Japan, though there have been some Western [=RPGs=] also attempting it.

Another subset is the DungeonCrawler, a subgenre that can include both Eastern and Western games. This subgenre was more common among Western [=RPGs=] up until the 1990s, but has today become more popular in the East than it is in the West.

In the past, the Eastern Console format was arguably more prolific and hence more popular than the Western Computer format, with even some Computer games mimicking Console ones. Lately, however, the Computer format is becoming more popular in the West, rivaling (and sometimes even trumping) the Console format in popularity, partly due to progresses in technology making arguably more immersive games, which in turn has led to rising budgets. As a result, many Console development teams nowadays focus more on handhelds due to lower budgets. Other, particularly larger Eastern development teams such as Creator/MonolithSoft, Creator/{{Atlus}}, and Creator/FromSoftware have responded by incorporating elements of computer [=RPGs=] into their works, creating a hybrid of both east and west just like more narrative-driven Western [=RPGs=].